Archive
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Nostalgia is not what it used to be
Barely a day goes by when I don't get a request from people wanting to trace their ancestors through the pages of the paper. Often they just want to put an appeal in our Where Are They Now? section but there also many who are hoping a story or wedding
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Make or break meeting for Cricklade centre
Tomorrow's meeting between the Keep Leisure In Cricklade action group and North Wiltshire District Council over the future of the town's leisure centre has been described as "make or break". The council has offered £60,000 to the group to help fund its
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Boy is knocked down near school
Police in Chippenham have closed Hardenhuish Lane in Chippenham after an 11-year-old boy was knocked down. He was airlifted to a specialist head injury unit at Frenchay Hospital by the Wiltshire Air Ambulance just before 4pm this afternoon. The
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Kandu charity's cash boost
Connexions has given the thumbs up to a young people's project in Chippenham by awarding £10,000-worth of funding. Kandu Arts was one of numerous bidders for the latest round of Connexions voluntary and community service awards and contracts for 2007
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Virgin's V Festival performance awarded
Virgin Mobile has been crowned winners of the Best Mobile Advertising' category at the 2007 Global Mobile awards held in Barcelona last week. The campaign by the Trowbridge-based firm beat tough competition from Vodafone, Cingular, FOX Entertainment
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Air grievances to MP online
Anne Snelgrove MP is encouraging people in Swindon to log on to a new online surgeryfeature on her website. The E-surgeryhas been created to allow residents to solve their grievances quickly and effectively. She said: "From the local council to
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Man faces trial accused of raping a 14-year-old
A man is to face trial by jury after denying raping a 14-year-old girl more than four and a half years ago. Samir Hassan has pleaded not guilty to raping a female under the age of 16 in Gorse Hill between Wednesday, July 10 and Saturday, July 13, 2002
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Man accused of torching love rival's home
A spurned man started fires at the front and back door of a love rival's home as he and his family slept inside, a jury has been told. Sean Jakubowski, 23, had already torched the cars of his former girlfriend Claire Heavens and her mother before it
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Harsher penalties for driving while on the phone
New legislation that will further punish drivers who use their mobile while behind the wheel comes into effect tomorrow. In just a few short hours, the current £30 fixed penalty will be replaced by a £60 fine and an endorsement of three points on your
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Giant pig marauds through town
Shoppers in Devizes couldn't believe their eyes today as a giant Trojan Pig appeared in the town. The enormous wooden animal paid a visit with pig farmer Cameron Naughton, of West End Farm, to spread the word in the Market Place about a national campaign
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Material Girls (PG)
Teen idol and recording artist Hilary Duff has apparently always wanted to act opposite her big sister Haylie. After years waiting for the perfect script, the Duff siblings settle instead for this bland and cheerless comedy about a pair of dim-witted
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Building society gives something back
To celebrate this year's Red Nose Day on March 16, Swindon firm Nationwide will be doubling the donations it makes for every transaction on its Comic Relief Credit Card during that month. This means one pound in every hundred spent will be donated
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The Illusionist (PG)
Based on a short story by Steven Millhauser, The Illusionist is an entertaining thriller, which begs inevitable comparisons with The Prestige. Neil Burger's film harks back to a similar era and also conceals a couple of aces up its sleeve, exploiting
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Freedom Writers (12A)
Freedom Writers is the true story of an inspirational teacher and her single-handed crusade for change in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots, when the city was torn apart by interracial gang warfare. Working from the book The Freedom Writers Diary
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Army advice from the horse's mouth
A young soldier from Chippenham has returned to the area this week to talk to young people about an Army career. Trooper Joseph Baron, from Great Somerford, is based at the Army Careers Office in Swindon until Friday to discuss his experiences in the
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Report discredits supercouncil, says leader
A new report provides another blow to plans for a unitary authority in Wiltshire, according to one of the district council leaders. Staff at West Wiltshire District Council have won praise from inspectors at the independent Improvement and Development
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Price is right for Bluebirds
CHIPPENHAM Town boss Adie Mings has swooped to sign Mangotsfield United defender Ollie Price. Price will join until the end of the season and Mings will look to him to add another dimension to his back line. "He is a no nonsense central defender
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Be prepared for the demise of Harry Potter
The seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter adventure will hit shelves at one minute past midnight on July 21 and is likely to cause shopping mayhem in Wiltshire. Two major characters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are expected to
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Roof-top rescue for injured workman
A workman had to be craned off the roof of Swindon College today with a suspected broken ankle. The man, who was repairing an air conditioning unit on the flat roof of the North Star college, is believed to have injured himself by tripping over.
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Masked gang demand cash
A gang of masked robbers threatened a 24-year-old man at knife-point and demanded he hand over cash. The incident happened in broad daylight behind the running track at Swindon's County Ground between 10 and 11am yesterday. Anyone with any information
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Meeting on rail boost
A meeting is being held to discuss a proposed draft train timetable offering better links between Chippenham and Wiltshire's other major towns. The "TransWilts" line, currently operated with a skeleton service, already connects Chippenham, Swindon,
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Building society boosts Fairtrade
Nationwide is today celebrating the start of Fairtrade fortnight with a range of special activities at its head office in Swindon. Until March 11, a Fairtrade lunch will be available in the employee restaurant and at the shop on site. The building
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Gazette Golden Boot race heating up
AFC Melksham striker Luke Ballinger and AFC Bell's Craig Townsend are tied in the race to win the Gazette Golden Boot as the Chippenham Sunday League enters its final months. Both marksmen have 32 league goals, four ahead of nearest rival Jonathan
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Sturrock asks for forgiveness
SUPERSTITIOUS Town boss Paul Sturrock has gagged himself on the transfer front yet is bemused at some fans inability to accept an existing player's apology. Jack Smith's penalty was enough to earn Town a 1-0 win over Chester City on Saturday and lift
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Weekend wash-out – again
The Wiltshire League fixture list took another hammering again at the weekend when the heavy over-night rain caused almost half the scheduled programme to be abandoned due to waterlogged pitches. Just three matches got the go ahead in the Premier
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Post office protesters hold rally
One hundred demonstrators have gathered at a post office to protest against closures in Wiltshire. A large crowd assembled at Wren's Post Office, East Knoyle during National Post Office week to tell the Government: "We love our Post Offices and we
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Warning bell for Bromham
AFC Bell moved level on points with Bromham (Sunday) at the top of Division Four as the Devizes based side made the most of Bromham's inactivity. Bell didn't have everything their own way to a 3-2 win and they were fortunate to take both points from
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Southgate retain top position
LEADERS The Southgate Inn remain top of the pile despite having their match against third placed Wheatsheaf FC called off. With Southgate missing out on a game, it meant that if Sir Audley's Arms could record a sixth successive victory by beating local
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Depleted Lion roar on
BRITISH Lion OC kept their 100 per cent league record intact but they had to scrap for the two points against a dogged White Horse side who despite being at the basement put up a brave fight before going down 3-0. The Lion were missing several key
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North Star A rediscover form
NORTH Star A bounced back to form after their surprise 5-4 loss against Christian Malford last weekend as the Calne-based side defeated in-form Kingfisher 5-1 to move into second spot. Michael Bell put Kingfisher ahead when he put through his own
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Centre take control
DEFENDING champions Corsham Centre moved back to the top the top of the table after a 9-0 win over Sherston Town. They share pole position on 24 points with Winsley who held a three point lead over the Centre at the start of the week. Winsley were
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Iain Harvey's column
IT would be nice to have a win bonus but you can't knock five out of five. A little bit more composure and thought in the final third and we could have easily won five or six against Stamford on Saturday. I was watching the lads' workrate and it
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Rooftop protester admits threats to kill
A man who launched a two-day rooftop protest in September last year has also admitted two counts of threats to kill. Ross Grant was due to face sentence for a catalogue of offences but because of an incident at Bristol prison was not brought to court
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Child sex pervert jailed for order breach
A child sex pervert who was jailed for breaching an order restricting him from having contact with young girls has been told how long he must serve behind bars. Graham Parks was sentenced to 18 months in January but told the term wouldn't start until
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Badminton calls on budding photographers
Keen photographers are being asked to help contribute towards a new attraction at this year's Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. The Spirit of Badminton Photo Wall will be a ten-metre long showcase for images taken at the event by members of
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Hospital waiting times to shorten
Waiting times at the Great Western Hospital could drop to less than five months by the end of 2008. It is hoped to reduce the time from GP referral to treatment to just 18 weeks. The announcement was made during a board meeting of the Swindon and
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Charity run attracts hundreds
There was no lazy Sunday for hundreds of runners yesterday as they braved the muddy conditions in Lydiard Park to raise money for a good cause. More than 400 people lined up to run, jog and walk in the first British Heart Foundation (BHF) run to be
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Teenager jailed over stolen phone
A teenager has been jailed for six months after being caught with a mobile phone sim card stolen in a knifepoint robbery. Barry Barnett, who a court heard has an appalling record of offending, had only been out of prison for a short time when the offence
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Billie rushed to hospital
Swindon star Billie Piper has had to be rushed to hospital after collapsing in pain. The 24-year-old former Bradon Forest pupil was preparing to appear in West End show Treats on Friday night when she doubled over in agony. She was taken to a nearby
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Thieves target church roof
Thieves have stolen thousands of pounds worth of lead from a church roof. The lead strips were taken from St Mary's Church, in Rodbourne Cheney, on Friday. And churchwarden Richard Kimber said she is concerned those responsible could be coming back
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Road smash kills elderly couple
An elderly couple have died in a car crash in west Wiltshire. Police said they were travelling in a Toyota Corolla which collided with a Landrover Discovery on the B3107 Holt to Bradford-on-Avon road on Sunday afternoon. The 87-year-old woman died
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Police investigate van body
Police are continuing to investigate the death of a man found in a van. The body of the man was found in a white Peugeot Boxer in the B&Q car park, in Fleming Way, Swindon, on Friday afternoon. They expect a post-mortem examination of the body to
